Starflare Universe – Ghosts-3
413 Words
Blaze checked the time as the shuttles lifted from the deck, smiling as he saw they’d lifted three seconds under the two minute estimate. He was in the lead shuttle, sitting in the co-pilot’s chair with Doc at the controls.
“You got your bag of tricks?” Blaze asked.
“Of course,” Doc replied. “But maybe you clumsy oafs could try to avoid needing my help, just for once.”
“We hate to think of you getting bored.”
“Ferrying you lot to a ship sitting in the middle of nowhere, then waiting around to see who tries to break in once you’ve left? Yeah, sounds like I’ll be snoring in no time. Now be quiet and let me concentrate on getting us attached.”
“Sure, Doc.”
Blaze watched carefully as they approached. He knew he could handle the manoeuvre far better than Doc, but that was part of the reason he wasn’t flying. The Panther’s crew was small enough that everyone had to be able to handle several roles and practice whenever they got a chance. Doc didn’t have the experience to handle the shuttle in a hot fire zone. Blaze or one of the pilots would be flying in that situation. Chances to practice hostile docking in relative safety didn’t come along often.
Not that Blaze was completely relaxed. If something unexpected happened, if the apparently quiet ship they were approaching became hostile, he’d grab control. His instincts were already screaming at him, reminding him that nothing was ever this easy.
The approach stayed quiet, though. Doc brought the shuttle in slower than Blaze would have, but still at a reasonable speed, spinning it around during the final approach so the landing gear would make first contact.
Blaze fought to keep his hands off the controls as the distance to the target vanished. The last thing Doc needed was to be distracted or to feel like Blaze was breathing down his neck. Doc hit the thrusters at the last minute so they crunched down rather than smashing into the ship.
The hostile docking measures were already primed. The moment the landing gear touched down powerful electromagnets activated and several harpoons blasted into the large ship’s surface. Claws on the landing gear bit down into the target ship’s surface. The devices worked perfectly, letting the shuttle cling on rather than bouncing back off.
“Nice landing, Doc,” Blaze said. “We’re heading out. Remember not to open the door to strangers!”
“You think there’ll be anyone there that’s stranger than you lot?” Doc shot back. Blaze chuckled and shook his head.
- Writer
